


Fear & Loathing In The Nine-Nine

by Fear_Itself



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, S3E4, jake just needs a hug, mostly no spoilers, pls he is soft boy, the vulture is the worst person on earth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-10 14:36:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20529653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fear_Itself/pseuds/Fear_Itself
Summary: (Crossposted to FFN and Wattpad)As the bitter chill nipped at Jacob's face, he let his legs dangle off the edge. No matter how many painkillers he took, the voices still rang clear in his head. The mercury lights that sat by the streetside flickered dead leaving him with a dark endless abyss. Maybe one dive in wouldn't hurt?"Peralta?" He couldn't connect the voice to a person, not like he cared anyway. "Peralta wait, what are you doing...?" He felt the shadows claw at his fingers, guiding him closer to the rim. "Jacob!" The gloom was suddenly gone, the voice was actually real. "Jacob... please don't jump."***Dad!Holt, Son! Jake focus once more.This one will be more from Jake's POV, taking a look at his protectiveness and secrecy.Bigger focus on the abuse itself than the aftermath it has on a person.Amy x Jake implications.Enjoy :D





	1. An Unconscious Requiem

**Author's Note:**

  * For [childishperalta](https://archiveofourown.org/users/childishperalta/gifts), [Faithfull_Dumpling](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Faithfull_Dumpling).

"It's alright, it's just a nightmare..." Heart racing, Jacob Peralta curled his knees to his chest and leaned against the wall. He thought that maybe since the Vulture was gone, the memories would go away but they seemed to only get worse.

As the wind halted, the shadows from across the road ceased to move. Whispers traveled from one end to the other, quietly taunting him of his weaknesses. Tears dripping down his face, they couldn't help but laugh.

"Why not I shut the cretin up for good?" Brandishing a blade he began his way across the street. No lights, no sign of help. In a pure panic, he reached his arm out, trying to find some sort of kindle.

"Very well, tomorrow I'll offer up my sweet sacrifice again."

When he opened his eyes once more, a dim light flickered in and out of the worn lamp on his bedside table. Heart pounding, he wiped his eyes.

"It's alright, it's just a nightmare." Sitting up, Jake looked to his outstretched arm and to the bayonet just out of his grasp. "Good God, what happened last night?"

***

Unable to fall back asleep, he threw on the TV. With the Goodfellas playing in the background, he decided to make breakfast. Of course, his fridge proved to be quite barren with 7 liters of orange off-brand Fanta, one expired yogurt container he took one bite of before shoving it away, leftover frozen pizza and a ramen cup. No, he doesn't know how it got there. In his pantry, there were some emergency rations when shit hits, a single saltine in a plastic baggie, a bag of Sour Patch Kids, and white bread. Though he couldn't find how old it was. Not wanting to spend much cash on food, he grabbed two slices of the bread that smelled half normal, a handful of candies, a bit of sauce he scrapped off the pizza into a sandwich before putting the saltine next to it. Flipping to a news channel, he couldn't help but grunt.

"Jesus Christ he's our president and he ain't getting impeached anytime soon so calm the hell down and deal with it." Trying to find something to lighten the mood, he settled on Good Times, an old classic. If only modern TV was like Good Times, when's the last time a comedy managed to delve into abuse without it being South Park? Or was it Family Guy? He couldn't really remember anymore. Attempting to eat his sandwich without dying just a little more on the inside, he glanced at his foggy watch. It was only 2:30! Sighing, Jake leaned back into his recliner. A few hours passed as he got lost in a random mix of jokes and Cheer's drinks before finally returning to reality. Despite the lighthearted start to his morning, he still felt dread loom over his shoulders. Today they were supposed to meet to discuss their next steps of who to tell about the Vulture situation.

Though it might seem selfish, Jake couldn't bring himself to tell anyone. The message he left him with was quite dark, to say the least.

He wasn't about to let Amy get hurt because he wanted a little more protection. I mean this wasn't that bad, right?

***

Jacob decided to go to work early today, it was the only place he didn't feel so claustrophobic. Once the elevator door opened, he noticed the night shift slowly filing out while Holt sat in his office, signing some documents. Quietly, he went to his desk and hid his face behind the computer in hopes Holt didn't see him. This is the 4th time he's been early to work and he was pretty sure that the captain was on to him. Though of course, he had to see him come in through the door.

"Peralta, you're here early... again."

"Couldn't sleep, wanted to finish Stranger Things but I gotta savor it!"

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Ya, though I did wake up." Facing his screen, he munched on the sad saltine he brought with him.

"Is that all you've eaten for breakfast," Holt asked, giving him a glare.

"No I had a sandwich... ok MAYBE it was sour patch kids and pizza sauce on questionably moldy bread but same difference!" Shaking his head, the captain to returned to his office. Thinking he was gone, he focused on work again but he came back, slamming something on his desk.

"For once in your life, eat actually food Peralta." Before he got a chance to give it back to him, the door was already locked shut. Examining what he placed, it looked to be some Whole Foods brand breakfast bar.

"Oatmeal and raisin, what kind of barbarian eats this stuff?" Thinking ahead, he shoved the bar in his pocket, he really couldn't handle eating that sandwich for breakfast tomorrow.

***

"Break room, 12:03 sharp." Nodding, he decided against meeting Terry's eyes. Taking in the last few minutes to finish a bit of paperwork, Jake felt a knot in his stomach tie tighter. He really didn't want to tell them, but if he wanted to keep their mouths shut he'd have to. After signing his name, he headed for the room which for the first time was Hitchcock and Scully free.

"Welcome, Jake."

"Sup, is that pizza for us?"

"Ya, thought some light food would balance this conversation out."

"Noice." Enjoying the free food, Amy came in next and sat down next to him. Rosa, then Charles took a seat before finally, the meeting began.

"This is about the Vulture situation right?"

"Did you not get the memo, Boyle?" Sighing, Terry started it off. "One of us is gonna have to tell the captain about what happened. Which one of us wants to crawl down that hole?" They all go silent for several moments before Rosa spoke up.

"If no one else will, I can. Summing it up into as few words as possible will make things less awkward and then we can get more authority's involved before vowing to never speak of the experience again."

"Well that was easy... so I got this pizza for nothing?"

"No you didn't, I have an objection you'll want all the grease you can for."

"You want to tell the captain?"

"No, you CAN'T tell the captain." Looking among each other, the detectives were downright confused.

"You better explain right now."

"Oh I will, just don't say I didn't warn you" taking a long obnoxious bite of pizza, he swallowed and began. "Keith has been exporting money out of me for years and if I were to stop and or tell anyone what was going on he would assault Amy." The entire room fell quiet, not even the birds outside flew.

"Excuse me what?" Amy, who now had dropped her soda cup attempted to keep her face calm but it was a lost cause.

"I'm really sorry you had to find out this way Ames but I needed to protect you." Of course, this wasn't half the truth but poison dropped in high dosages causes panic, right now peace was more important.

"Oh don't I'm sorry Ames me! You had absolutely no reason not to tell someone. You should know better than anyone else that what he's doing is illegal."

"Santiago as your boyfriend and partner in not crime, I couldn't risk anything happening to you."

"Well maybe if you just TOLD SOMEONE we could've sorted this out and nothing would've happened to any of us."

"I'm not leaving my chances to fate when it's proven to not work out so great. The trauma sexual assault leaves isn't worth the trouble. He just takes a good chunk of my paycheck and that's that."

"Amy, go fill out some paperwork, take a breather. You can't blame him for feeling trapped in that position. Jake, we're gonna go talk to the captain right now."

"Terry please just give me a little more time to sort this out. I'll talk to Keith and we can make sure no one gets hurt!" Grunting, he begrudgingly decided to compromise.

"Fine... one week... one week and if this problem isn't fixed I'm going to pick you up by your toe, drag you face-first to his office, and make you tell him myself!"

"Tell me what?" Everyone tensed as they turned to face Raymond Holt, now standing in the doorway.

"It's-"

"Nothing sir, nothing whatsoever, now don't you have to file some case reports sir?" Jake standing up fast began ushering him out.

"Peralta..." 

"Go! You'll find out if you need to." Once out of earshot, Terry brushed past him.

"Oh, and if you don't sort this out, you're telling him about the other Vulture situation to." Gulping, his shoulders got heavier. Why didn't he just let Rosa do the talking?


	2. Nightmares Dripping Into Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jake can't sustain himself.  
The shadows are taking him closer to the edge  
Holt has surprising interests  
Gina learns a lesson (Or maybe she doesn't, we'll never know for sure)  
Amy is late for work  
"Guess who just got m u r d e r e d!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Sorry for the long late on this one, nothing too bad in this one. Trigger warnings for Jake being unable to buy things to stay alive.)

The rest of the day flew by in uncomfortable dullness. Filling out paperwork was the only thing keeping his mind off the phone call he had to make that evening. Despite the fact everyone was busy, he still felt as if a million eyes were on him, judging the little mistakes that still riddle his notes after years of trying to perfect it. Worst of all, anger seemed to still flow out of Amy.

"Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake-"

"WHAT GINA!"

"What happened in the break room earlier? Just cuz I'm not a cop doesn't mean I can't handle it."

"Nothing important?" Ever since lunch, Gina has been stopping by his desk nonstop in an attempt to get answers but she wasn't around when Keith was captain so she was on the list of people not to tell.

"Jake you're my best friend, you've gotta tell me."

"No I don't, it's between the five of us and no one more."

"I live off of drama buddy, once I get a sip I can't stop. Just give in and tell me."

"Linetti, have you ever stopped to consider you're being overly nosy right now and perhaps I don't want to tell you because you can't keep your mouth shut? Maybe sometimes I just want a little privacy in my seemingly open life!" Wordlessly, Gina began backing up and he stood up, making his way down the bullpen.

"Jake where are you going?" Terry asked as he opened up the elevator door.

"Outside, I need a minute." Most people would think he's going to the first floor, maybe to get a coffee from a nearby store but he clicked to go the sixth floor where the roof was. Once there, he contemplated just calling Keith there and getting it over with. Yet he couldn't bring himself to do it. The number was left unrivaled and fear filled his mind, every possibility racing 7 times above the speed limit leaving his head in agony.

"Peralta? You ok?" Looking up in surprise, he didn't think Holt of all people would go check up on him.

"Ya just have a headache, that and Gina coming by my desk so often really didn't help either. Contrary to popular belief I need quiet sometimes, ya know?"

"Of course, prescient can be quite noisy sometimes."

"Hey, how did you know I was up here anyway?"

"Did you really think I didn't see you steal a key for the roof last month?"

"And you still remember that? You must have a lot of spare time."

"Actually I don't. I take part in my after-work activities like painting, fencing, and Lego building competitions which take up the better part of my weekend."

"Wait Lego building? I'd never think you'd be that kind of person."

"I built an award-winning city in a realistic build contest with Kevin, would you like to see?"

"Ya!" Pulling up a photo, he almost cringed away from how realistic it was. "Did you seriously put trash in the lake?"

"Yes, it is a representation of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. You can even enter the NBC building."

"Ok, that is epic. The best I've built was a multi-colored house since I don't have a lot of pieces. I couldn't even finish the roof so it just sits on my coffee table, sad and alone. But the worst part about it is that I built it out of Mega-Bloxs. Goddamn MEGA-BLOXS! Mom never bothered to even buy me Duplo!"

"What a disgrace, Mega-Bloxs should be burned alive." Laughing, he scrolled through the few images he had of it.

"Wait are those your own figures?"

"Yes, I customized them. This one is Liz Lemon, currently being annoyed her boss, and or mentor depending on the context, Jack Donaghy."

"They have backstories? Oh my god is this a dream?"

"Jake Jesus Christ..."

"Stop ruining the moment with words! I can't wait to tell everyone about- Oh... ugh, my head..."

"I have some fast-acting pain-killers in my office, would you like a few?"

"You sure?"

"Of course, would I offer it if I wasn't?"

"Eh guess you wouldn't. Sure why not."

"Alright, want me to bring them up here or...?"

"No no it's fine, I'll be downstairs in a second." Nodding, he made his way back to the stairwell and once the door closed behind him, the smile plastered on his face drooped low. As he overlooked the bustling Brooklyn streets, clouds began to cover the sun. Just in front of him, another shadow appeared, laughing at the man he broke into an empty shell. The wind picked up and beckoned Jacob closer to the edge. Just one step and it would all be over. But something forced him back to the safety of the stairwell. Taking his time down the steps, one question consumed his thoughts,

Was he finally going insane?

***

"THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT ME YOU LITTLE SHIT?" Fun fact number 20193 about Gina Linetti, she is actually a raging accident just waiting to be tipped over when it comes to video games. After losing power at her house, she settled in at the 99, X-Box plugged in the break room. The night shift who just got settled in for the evening was quite... shocked, to say the least. "How are you not in fucking school, you kiss your mother with that mouth? No, it's called you kiss your mother with that fucking mouth?" Laughing again, she started yelling in her headset. 

After signing his final pieces of paperwork (Ya he's been procrastinating for like the past month now) he shook his hand out that was now really sore. Looking to his palms, he noticed a bit of blood where his uneven nails were. Must've gripped the pencil to hard. Wiping it off on his shirt hem, Jake started to stretch and made his way to the elevator.

"Jake!" 

"Hm?" Turning to face Amy, holding her arm in between the door to keep it from closing.

"I just wanted to apologize earlier, pretty immature of me to act out like that when you were just trying to protect me.

"It's alright. I would've yelled at myself to in that situation." She gave him a slight glare as if that wasn't the answer she was looking for. "Hey, wanna stay over tonight?"

"Sure why not."

***

No matter how hard he tried, his eyes couldn't be peeled off the figures only a few feet away. When it was dark, their piercing red eyes glowed brighter. One of them had a creepy smile that grew wider by the night. It all stayed the same usually as he would find light just before the blade they carried entered his chest. But for some reason, Jacob was paralyzed, sure they walked slower but he wasn't able to stop them either. He tried opening his eyes wider, making himself wake up. Nevertheless, his muscles wouldn't give. Arm shaking under the invisible barrier, the knife hit his skin. Not cutting it but rather just trailing down with enough pressure to where he could feel it but not where it left any marks. 

Suddenly it was raised up and entered into his chest. Still frozen, he couldn't even panic. Jake just sat there, the blade being repeatedly pulled in and out. A burning feeling rose up his entire body before reaching his head, then his eyes opened. Shivering and breathing heavy, he sat up. On his left, Amy still slept peacefully, giving him a bit of relief. 

Looking at his watch, Jake decided to try getting ready a bit earlier. Adult Swim was still on at this time so maybe he could catch some King of the Hill. After brushing his teeth and changing, he turned on his TV and collapsed in one of the three massage chairs left. (He used to have four but the Vulture took his nicest one) Tim and Eric Awesome Show were on followed by Nathan for You and Documentary Now so he decided against going straight to Fox News.

"Jake?" 

"Oh, morning Ames."

"You're up early."

"Well geez sorry if being responsible for my career and wanting to be ready for the day is an issue." Amy just gave him a blank stare so he came up with something more reasonable. "Nathan for You is airing a new episode and I couldn't miss it now shut up, it's starting." Sighing, Amy ended up collapsing into massage chair number 2 and watching a bit of TV, dozing in and out of a mindless trance shows as weird and Tim and Eric Awesome Show (Great Job!) can cause. About an hour and a half passed before they snapped out of it, remembering they had to go to work to sustain their lives.

"Jacob...?"

"Ya?" He yelled back to Amy, who was now in the kitchen. 

"You don't have **F O O D**." 

"...Really?"

"Ya, you have like orange soda and stale bread..."

"And Sour Patch Kids!"

"That's not food, that's candy!" She angerly grunted and went back to the living room. "What's the last thing you've eaten." He didn't reply, only turning the TV up louder as if to drown out her voice. "Jacob..."

"I don't know! Maybe like that pizza Terry brought yesterday."

"That was almost 24 hours ago."

"And the problem is...?"

"JACOB YOU NEED FOOD TO LIVE!"

"Eh, that's debatable. Did you know you could go three weeks without food?"

"But it's not healthy. We are going to get a proper breakfast today. I don't care if we are late!"

"Woah then you must be serious about this eating thing." Turning off the TV, she headed to the bathroom, mumbling.

"I swear to god if you have some sort of eating disorder I am going to kill myself..."

"Wouldn't that be just as bad?"

"Look I don't know, I need my coffee or I'm probably going to collapse in confusion." Slamming the bathroom door behind her, Jake decided to get ready as well. Returning to his room for some clothes, he noticed his phone was ringing. He assumed it was either Charles or the 17th loan shark this week. But he felt just a bit more anxious when it was the Vulture. This month he needed every penny he could get since he was so short on cash for things that aren't bills. His phone buzzed, shaking the unstable table slightly. Cautiously, he hovered his finger over the menu. It rang once more.

With a little smile, he pressed hang up. 

***

Munching on the egg sandwich Amy bought him, the two entered the building. The main lobby was typically a quiet place where a single employee answered calls and busy cops went in and out. But rarely one stayed for a while. But today, a few cops were talking with said lobby-lady, taking notes as if it were an investigation. Once on the elevator, Amy spoke up.

"What do you think they were talking about?"

"Dunno, none of my business. Probably just another case they needed evidence for. Did I thank you for the sandwich yet?"

"Yes, you have Jake, like a million times. Glad you're appreciative though."

"It's no biggie, just haven't had good food in a while, ya know?" The door opened and he quickly noticed the doctors gathered around a certain spot on the floor. "Wait why are the-" Suddenly the sandwich fell out of Jake's hand and his eyes widened.

There was detective Daniels, dead at his feet. 


	3. No Sympathy For the Victims Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holt overreacts, but it ends up being not enough  
Jake loses everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings for suicide and sexual assault implications

Jake in a million years would've never guessed detective Daniels of all people would end up dead. The body didn't give off any foul smell yet, but her skin was already pale.

"Peralta, Santiago, so glad you could join us. Do you know anything about this?"

"Not at all, sir! We're just as shocked as you." Amy replied. Jake didn't reply and instead went down to investigate the body.

"I'm assuming your first guess is that she died of heart attack or stroke, considering how sickly she was right?" The pathologists nodded. "Well look at the cigarette next to her." Picking up the stick between his pointer finger and thumb. Peeling it open the slightest bit, a few drops of liquid came out. "Whoever did this must have not done this before. Someone laced her cigarette with..." Swallowing a drop or two his eyes widened a bit. "Wow that is... surprisingly sweet yet somehow spicy... oh yep it's probably nitroglycerin." 

"Peralta... you just ate poison." Holt began, with a slight twitch in his eye.

"Yep."

"And we are both not 100% certain what that poison is."

"Yep."

"And it killed Detective Daniels."

"Yep."

"...We should get you to the hospital."

"I'll be fine! Besides look at how many she smoked." Pulling over the garbage can next to her desk, there were maybe 5 or 6 cigarettes at the top. "She must've shown up early, feeling stressed and whatnot ended up smoking the infected cigarettes. Of course, she needed to smoke more than just one. So the chances of the poison being that deadly are low. Worst comes to worst, I'll go to the ER or something. Maybe I can get away without medical bills I don't know."

"You get paid 750 dollars a week, I don't see the issue." 

"Then you have rent, and grocery bills, and the occasional self-indulgent treat. Besides this a horrible comparison. Aren't ya like rich or something?"

"One, it would be 'you' not 'ya' and second I'm certainly not rich, but on paper, I'd be the one to win the house."

"What house?"

"Nevermind, you two don't have any cases right now, correct?"

"Not at all sir, would you like any help.

"Yes, you should go through any social media she had. Look through her contacts to find any hints at who may have been targeting her. Peralta, we'll investigate the recent footage."

"Really, why me? Wouldn't Amy kill for some time with you?"

"If you show any symptoms of the poison possibly affecting you, Amy may not take you if you tell her not to."

"Look I'll go to the doctor if I feel bad. But like I told you, it's just nitroglycerin." The captains only reply was a glare, so he followed none-the-less. Once inside, he put on the set of headphones. Flipping through, he watched the strange detectives routine. Before, she was always compared to the likes of Hitchcock and Scully, but she was much different from and outsiders perspective. She got a lot of the paperwork Hitchcock and Scully was to busy, tired or lazy to get done. Well to be fair most of the detectives not in the inner circle did so as well. She seemed to be always to be busy, consistently taking a coffee or smoking break to keep herself from going crazy. Of course, a question crossed his mind.

Did she poison the tobacco herself?

Jake never liked to think that way so he wanted to find evidence that she was killed instead. A man brave enough to do the deed himself is someone he would respect a bit more than someone who bullies them into doing it by their own hands.

"Jacob... what's this?" Panic quickly rose up against his chest. Holt used his first name. Did he mess up and he found the footage of it? But he sounded worried.

"What's what?" Turning his chair around, expecting to see himself goofing off, it was rather a bit from last week, when he revealed to the Vulture that Holt was returning by the next shift. In a fit of rage, he asked for more money, labeled him worthless, and punched him so hard one of his teeth, rotting from dental neglect, fell out. "Oh, probably nothing important, go back a bit more." Suddenly, the captain tensed.

"No, keep it there a bit longer." Unplugging the headset, all the memories rushed back. His nails against his neck, threating to stab in if he were to so much as make a sound, the twitching just centimeters from his cheek, the calm voice just seconds from exploding. He wasn't just hearing the audio, he was reliving it.

**"You think they care?"**

The screen went black. Jake had unplugged the TV. He met the other's eyes, Holt saw the Vulture's fist move in for the attack but not the impact. Without another word, he was already out the door.

"Peralta wait!" The grasp on Jake's shirt seemed to fall right through thin air. "Please let's talk about this, you're not in trouble." All eyes were on the two of them, the rest of the prescient being only bystanders in the mini soap-opera they created. 

"If you have half a brain, you won't let the word of this get out anywhere or else what I've been trying to avoid for the past 3 years will happen!" No one had ever seen Jacob with such terror in his eyes. It was cold and unsettling. 

"Jake-" But the elevator door was already closed. The captain turned to face Rosa, Terry, Amy, and Charles. "Do you know anything about this?"

"Depends."

"Very well, come with me."

***

Another thing he assumed would never happen; having a panic attack in his car. Shaking violently, air barely managed to reach his lungs as one thought ate at his brain.

He knew. He knew. He knew. He knew. He knew. He knew. He knew. He knew. He knew-

He knew, and now the worst is coming.

Part of Jake wanted to go back in, grab Amy and run. Take her far from Keith where she would be safe for the rest of their lives. But she wouldn't abandon her life like that. Right now, he needed to call Keith and tell him off. But not here, anyone could overhear into the public parking garage. 

"Get your head straight Jacob, you can't drive like this!" Even with a plan, he wasn't calming down. Slapping himself a few times, he just decided to go, now seeing the captain come out of the elevator. He was gonna be pissed at him for storming off like that. The entire ride home, he prepared some smartass speech for the Vulture. Nothing could go wrong, a reply for almost every situation at hand he should've been ok. Things should've worked and everyone lived happily. Of course, nothing can work out for the infamous trouble magnet.

"Sup loser." Inside his house. Inside his godforsaken house, was the Vulture!"

"How did you..."

"It was pretty easy really, seduced the old lady upstairs, climbed out the fire escape, jimmied open the window. Bing-bang-boom, I'm inside your living quarters."

"I can call the police, it's breaking and entering!"

"So you're saying you can't arrest me yourself? You could've stopped this all yourself, but admit it, you need me!"

"Your the most worthless scum on this Earth, of course, I don't need you." He chuckled softly, not in an evil way, just a low way.

"Well, then that just makes you a coward. It's the only other option." All the preparation he'd done was thrown out the window. "Look I heard about how you told the others about what I've done. So I killed Daniels."

"YOU WHA-"

"Let me finish, how disrespectful. And then I hear your daddy found out as well?"

"Holt found out on his own!"

"You still don't deny the daddy part?" 

"I have a dad you know."

"So I came up with something else! You have 3 minutes to grab your shit and get out of this apartment. Or else it's Amy who's going to suffer more than a bit of an innocence lost." Jake couldn't believe what was happening. He was getting forced out of his own home. No, he couldn't be the coward the Vulture claimed for him to be.

"Nope, this is my paid for the property, it's MINE and you can not take it from me!" He stormed in closer. "Get out, or I'll use my gun on you. I'm not afraid to you fucking hoser!" The Vulture started laughing again making a shiver go down Jake's spine. In one swift motion, a gun was in his mouth and he was pinned to the couch. It was hard to breathe and on the verge of another panic attack.

"How about you stay quiet and let me punish you for not cooperating, or else you'll be choking on the metal with a nicely written suicide note to accompany it." He moved the pistol allowing him to speak. "Will you hand over the apartment?" Pent up rage tearing at his words, he took part in his speech.

"I refuse to be a puppet for a man with no freewill himself." The gun was pushed deeper in, making him suffocate while his wrists were pinned down with his free hand. Finally, the gun was sealed to his mouth.

"If you so much as to make a sound I don't like, I'm not going to hesitate to pull the trigger. Okay?" Nodding slightly, his stomach dropped, he knew what was happening and fright-filled his body. The next half an hour went by in a blur. He didn't want to remember yet it all was clear. Hands never left and his eyes had a consistent glint of joy in them. Everything hurt and he didn't back off until he got what he wanted. The second he let go, Jake threw his clothes back on and ran, he didn't even bother to get his car he just picked one direction and didn't slow down until he collapsed on a park bench.

Jake took a moment to think back on what just happened, and proceeded to want to crawl into his own skin. He felt so used as he curled into a ball and started crying softly.

"It's not that bad..." He attempted to reason with himself internally. "It's not like I haven't done it before... How is when I don't ask for it any different than when I do?" Deep down Jake knew exactly why but he's a cop, a detective for god's sake. This should barely faze him, it's not like it was that long.

He started getting looks so he left the park, head down. That's when it hit him.

**Jake had no place to go.**

Nearly stopping in his tracks, panic settled in. How was he gonna survive without a house? His car! But even though he did have the keys he should wait a day, in case the Vulture was expecting him. That means a night out in the streets. He knew Rosa would never allow company at her house, Charles's is too full, same goes for Terry, Gina didn't know of the situation and he didn't want to burden her with it, Holt knew more than enough as is, and Amy would probably break up with him on the spot for not defending himself. He could always turn into a homeless shelter but that's where drug addicts and thug kids and abusive parents go to rot. It might seem stereotypical of him but in Brooklyn that ain't far from the truth.

Thankfully, Jacob had his gun. If someone nasty tries to get him, he could shoot him. His officer badge would be useful too. That was when he remembered he had his key to the roof. Sleeping up there would keep him safe from being murdered or something. Begining to walk there, his phone rang. It was Charles. Hesitantly he answered.

"Hello?"

"Jake! I heard about how you stormed out, is everything ok?" He wanted to tell him. So badly would he spill everything, but he needed to deal with this himself. Not every Jake problem is a 9-9 problem.

"Ya Charles... Everything fine."

***

As the bitter chill nipped at Jacob's face, he let his legs dangle off the edge. No matter how many painkillers he took, the voices still rang clear in his head. The mercury lights that sat by the streetside flickered dead leaving him with a dark endless abyss. Maybe one dive in wouldn't hurt?

"Peralta?" He couldn't connect the voice to a person, not like he cared anyway. "Peralta wait, what are you doing...?" He felt the shadows claw at his fingers, guiding him closer to the rim. "Jacob!" The gloom was suddenly gone, the voice was actually real. "Jacob... please don't jump." 


End file.
